Mumbai: Somaiya Vidyavihar inaugurates RiiDL Technology Business Incubator

By Rons Bantwal
Bellevision Media Network

Mumbai, 13 Jan 2016: The union minister of science, technology and earth sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated Somaiya Vidyavihar’s RiiDL Technology Business Incubator here on Tuesday January 12.

 

RiiDL received a grant of Rs 5 crore for a period of 5 years from the department of science and technology, union ministry.

 

The 11,926 square feet centre located at Somaiya Vidyavihar (SVV) will provide startup businesses access to crucial lab and office space to rapid prototype their ideas. The Centre will focus on IT and electronic start-up ventures.

 

 

Interacting with startups Dr Harsh Vardhan appreciated the student’s projects and said that his department has proactively encouraged and will continue to support science and tech innovations that are scale-able and sustainable. Samir Somaiya, president, Somaiya Vidyavihar said, ‘The opening of RiiDL TBI is a step forward in our commitment to foster innovation and entrepreneurship at SVV. Working alongside other entrepreneurial teams, can add great value to the spirit of innovation. These start-ups create jobs, provide solutions and encourage more entrepreneurial activity.’

 

Dr Rajan Welukar, Provost, Somaiya Vidyavihar said, ‘Implementing technology innovations requires space, expertise and passion. An on- campus facility gives students access to expertise of faculties from different streams. At SVV where we have experts from IT to marketing and environment to engineering; the students will get opportunities to collaborate across streams and we hope to see innovations merging sciences and technologies.’

 

Gaurang Shetty, Chief Innovation Catalyst RiiDL said, ‘A group may have a success on a new kind of product, but may still have to figure out marketing or funding. Being in a facility like RiiDL is a unique experience. The space in such an environment where there is access to top experts, at the same time being surrounded by thousands of young students, the spirit of inquiry gets charged. The mentoring that is available, with experts from across the world visiting and spending time with youth and mentoring them, is making this a special space.’

 

About RiiDL

Research Innovation Incubation Design Labs (RiiDL) was started in November 2010 to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in the 34 institutions of Somaiya Vidyavihar. (RiiDL is an Innovation center, FABLAB and a Technology Business Incubator). RiiDL has won many awards including International Design Innovation Award 2014, Barcelona (Commendation Award) - FABLAB, MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, USA; Innovation Jockey, powered by Accenture and Yahoo - Jury Award. 14 patents have been filed by various start ups incubated at RiiDL. Some of them are for Automated Chess for visually impaired, Pollution mapping on Google maps, Bio Degumming of silk, Musical Staircase, Hybrid Bike, Radiator grill, Holographic projector, Non-invasive vitamin detection and Augmented Reality Mobile App.